COMMITTEE AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Environmental and Water Resources Committee
Government Code ? 84308 Applies: Yes ? No ?
(If "YES" Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code ? 84308)
SUBJECT: title
Receive an Update on the Desalination Engineering Feasibility Study.
End
RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Receive an Update on the Desalination Engineering Feasibility Study.
Body
SUMMARY:
This memorandum provides an update on the Desalination Engineering Feasibility Study. Since the last update to the Environmental and Water Resources Committee (EWRC) on April 2, 2025, Valley Water has completed the Fatal Flaw Analysis, initiated the alternatives analysis, conducted additional regulatory and environmental partner coordination, and begun refining feasible alternatives for further evaluation.
BACKGROUND
Valley Water continues to assess desalination as a potential future water supply source and in 2023, completed the Desalination Environmental Feasibility and Planning Study (DEFPS), which identified intake options, facility locations, and brine management strategies. These elements form the foundation for the ongoing engineering-level evaluations.
ENGINEERING FEASIBILITY STUDY
The Engineering Feasibility Study has two components, the Fatal Flaw Analysis and Alternatives Analysis:
1. Fatal Flaw Analysis: The Fatal Flaw Analysis screened potential desalination alternatives identified in the DEFPS, along with options newly proposed by Valley Water. Alternatives that were unlikely to receive environmental or regulatory approval, were technically infeasible, or did not meet the 10-40 million gallons per day (MGD) production target were removed from further consideration.
2. Alternatives Analysis: The Alternatives Analysis evaluated those options passing through the Fatal Flaw Analysis and further refined them to determine engineering feasibility. These include the following components:
Intake Locations
Intake alternatives are based on applicable guidance from the Cal...
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